We all are concerned about our personal information being used to benefit others, unbeknownst to us. This was rarely a problem before "computers". Ya wanna buy something on Amazon, Ebay, whatever, ya gotta provide info specific to yourself: credit card info, name, address, maybe even S/S number! I have up till now, had at least 3 credit cards "hacked", plus my S/S # and name used, submitted to IRS for a big tax refund! Are ya up on "proxy servers"? Many sites offer free Proxy Server service, stating your personal info cannot be obtained, while using them. Tried it. Tried to register on a forum I already belonged to, different username, etc., using the proxy server service. Know what happened? Forum detected it, BANNED me! The Proxy Server offerers claim your ISP # (Internet Service Provider) will remain unseeable to hackers. As far as my experience has gone, that's bullshit! My ISP # was instantly available to that forum's computer. Some Proxy Server services charge a fee. Think those are more likely to be on the "up and up"? Who knows? The Internet is both a most endearing place, while being at the same time conspiratorial and steeped in unknown pitfalls, for those of us in the ranks of "users". Subterfuge abounds, IMO, on the Net. They all proclaim "utmost security and protection", via, XXXcvX,m bbHnGbb, and a gobbledly-gook of other fictitious safe houses. Anyone else experienced "Identity Theft"? Frank EDIT: Another recollection struck me. When ya'all get a new credit card in the mail, a removable strip of tape on the front requests that you confirm receiving the card, using your HOME PHONE. Now, while using my phone, I knew that pressing *67 before dialing, places the receiving end on inability to ID the call. It says to them, "Unidentified Caller". Press *67 and then dial 911, they instantly ID you. The Credit Card companies have paid boo-coo bucks to get that prestigious benefit also. The frigging Banks ID you DESPITE BLOCKING CALLER ID! Tried it! Disgusted. Frank
No, I've never been hacked on my computer and in the last 3 years not on my ipad either. I thought VPNs hid your IP but I've never tried them. Even if you did get on with a proxy to the forum you were banned from, they'd recognize you in a second in your writing style.
No, I have been online before there was such a thing, since I ran a computer BBS for ten years before Algore invented the Internet, yet I have never had such a problem. Often, I use my real name or, where handles were more common, I have used kfander, which is a form of my real name. Between my forums and my web sites, it wouldn't take anyone very long to put together pretty much everything but my Social Security number, and with the number of agencies and companies that require even that these days, I suppose that's not entirely inaccessible. Until recently, Maine used Social Security numbers as driver's license numbers, so anyone who asked for your ID would have had that available. Additionally, as you can see from this forum, I don't keep a lot of secrets. I have discussed every place that I have ever worked for more than a few months, places where I have lived, etc. My current address, phone number and email address are posted openly. A significant part of my shopping is done online, probably through more than a hundred different companies. Yet, I have never suffered any losses due to an online presence. As for a forum detecting your proxy server, it may well be that they simply detected that you were using a proxy server. Common proxy servers are tracked and, if I wanted to, I could easily prohibit access to this forum by anyone using a proxy server. It wouldn't detect them all, but it would detect many of them. This is a feature often used to prevent members from establishing duplicate accounts. I don't use it because I choose to respect the privacy concerns of my members. I do use a list that includes known spammers, which prevents a lot of spammers from joining the forum. As you have seen, that doesn't detect all of them either, but it helps.
I don't hide my identity either. My email address is my real name and even if it wasn't, reverse email searches will usually give a name, then the whitepages will usually give an address and phone number. A username will give you a bunch of forums that person is on. I'm not so much afraid of identity theft but when I was first on the computer my fear was a crazy person coming to kill me. I've gotten over that.
This thread reminds me of the movie The Net which starred Sandra Bullock. From what I remember, her identity was stolen (or lost) so she has nothing left to herself because she was in a digital world where every transaction is done via the internet. With the prevalence of e-commerce where online shopping is now going to that direction, I guess identity theft is not that far away. I have no personal experience yet since I am not that well-versed with the internet and my only sojourn are the forums that help me hone my writing skills in English. But I cannot discount that fact because I have a friend whose Facebook account was hacked.